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Sponsored byWillie Preston+57 co-sponsors
Last updated Aug 7, 2026 · IL · Source: LegiScan ↗
SB3070 updates Illinois high school graduation requirements. Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, students must complete either two years of foreign language (including American Sign Language) or two years of approved career and technical education coursework. The bill also makes conforming updates to prior graduation mandates, laboratory science requirements, and exceptions for students with disabilities.
SB3070 Enrolled LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 AN ACT concerning education. 2 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 3 represented in the General Assembly: 4 Section 5. The School Code is amended by changing Section 5 27-605 as follows: 6 (105 ILCS 5/27-605) (was 105 ILCS 5/27-22) 7 Sec. 27-605. Required high school courses. 8 (a) (Blank). 9 (b) (Blank). 10 (c) (Blank). 11 (d) (Blank). 12 (e) Through the 2023-2024 school year, as a prerequisite 13 to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil entering the 14 9th grade must, in addition to other course requirements, 15 successfully complete all of the following courses: 16 (1) Four years of language arts. 17 (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of 18 which must be English and the other of which may be English 19 or any other subject. When applicable, writing-intensive 20 courses may be counted towards the fulfillment of other 21 graduation requirements. 22 (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be 23 Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and SB3070 Enrolled - 2 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science 2 course. A mathematics course that includes geometry 3 content may be offered as an integrated, applied, 4 interdisciplinary, or career and technical education 5 course that prepares a student for a career readiness 6 path. 7 (3.5) For pupils entering the 9th grade in the 8 2022-2023 school year and 2023-2024 school year, one year 9 of a course that includes intensive instruction in 10 computer literacy, which may be English, social studies, 11 or any other subject and which may be counted toward the 12 fulfillment of other graduation requirements. 13 (4) Two years of science. 14 (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one 15 year must be history of the United States or a combination 16 of history of the United States and American government 17 and, beginning with pupils entering the 9th grade in the 18 2016-2017 school year and each school year thereafter, at 19 least one semester must be civics, which shall help young 20 people acquire and learn to use the skills, knowledge, and 21 attitudes that will prepare them to be competent and 22 responsible citizens throughout their lives. Civics course 23 content shall focus on government institutions, the 24 discussion of current and controversial issues, service 25 learning, and simulations of the democratic process. 26 School districts may utilize private funding available for SB3070 Enrolled - 3 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 the purposes of offering civics education. Beginning with 2 pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school 3 year, one semester, or part of one semester, may include a 4 financial literacy course. 5 (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C) 6 foreign language, which shall be deemed to include 7 American Sign Language, (D) vocational education, or (E) 8 forensic speech (speech and debate). A forensic speech 9 course used to satisfy the course requirement under 10 subdivision (1) may not be used to satisfy the course 11 requirement under this subdivision (6). 12 (e-5) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, as a 13 prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil 14 entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course 15 requirements, successfully complete all of the following 16 courses: 17 (1) Four years of language arts. 18 (2) Two years of writing intensive courses, one of 19 which must be English and the other of which may be English 20 or any other subject. If applicable, writing-intensive 21 courses may be counted toward the fulfillment of other 22 graduation requirements. 23 (3) Three years of mathematics, one of which must be 24 Algebra I, one of which must include geometry content, and 25 one of which may be an Advanced Placement computer science 26 course. A mathematics course that includes geometry SB3070 Enrolled - 4 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 content may be offered as an integrated, applied, 2 interdisciplinary, or career and technical education 3 course that prepares a student for a career readiness 4 path. 5 (3.5) One year of a course that includes intensive 6 instruction in computer literacy, which may be English, 7 social studies, or any other subject and which may be 8 counted toward the fulfillment of other graduation 9 requirements. 10 (4) Two years of laboratory science. 11 (5) Two years of social studies, of which at least one 12 year must be history of the United States or a combination 13 of history of the United States and American government 14 and at least one semester must be civics, which shall help 15 young people acquire and learn to use the skills, 16 knowledge, and attitudes that will prepare them to be 17 competent and responsible citizens throughout their lives. 18 Civics course content shall focus on government 19 institutions, the discussion of current and controversial 20 issues, service learning, and simulations of the 21 democratic process. School districts may utilize private 22 funding available for the purposes of offering civics 23 education. One semester, or part of one semester, may 24 include a financial literacy course. 25 (6) One year chosen from (A) music, (B) art, (C) 26 foreign language, which shall be deemed to include SB3070 Enrolled - 5 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 American Sign Language, (D) career and technical 2 education, or (E) forensic speech (speech and debate). A 3 forensic speech course used to satisfy the course 4 requirement under subdivision (1) may not be used to 5 satisfy the course requirement under this subdivision (6). 6 (e-10) Beginning with the 2028-2029 school year, as a 7 prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma, each pupil 8 entering the 9th grade must, in addition to other course 9 requirements, successfully complete either (i) 2 years of 10 foreign language courses, which may include American Sign 11 Language , or (ii) at least 2 years of coursework that has been 12 authorized by the State Board of Education as meeting the 13 requirements for an approved career and technical education 14 course. A pupil who satisfies either course requirement under 15 this subsection (e-10) is deemed to have satisfied . A pupil 16 may choose a third year of foreign language to satisfy the 17 course requirement under subdivision (6) of subsection (e-5). 18 (f) The State Board of Education shall develop and inform 19 school districts of standards for writing-intensive 20 coursework. 21 (f-5) If a school district offers an Advanced Placement 22 computer science course to high school students, then the 23 school board must designate that course as equivalent to a 24 high school mathematics course and must denote on the 25 student's transcript that the Advanced Placement computer 26 science course qualifies as a mathematics-based, quantitative SB3070 Enrolled - 6 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 course for students in accordance with subdivision (3) of 2 subsection (e) of this Section. 3 (g) Public Act 83-1082 does not apply to pupils entering 4 the 9th grade in 1983-1984 school year and prior school years 5 or to students with disabilities whose course of study is 6 determined by an individualized education program. 7 Public Act 94-676 does not apply to pupils entering the 8 9th grade in the 2004-2005 school year or a prior school year 9 or to students with disabilities whose course of study is 10 determined by an individualized education program. 11 Subdivision (3.5) of subsection (e) does not apply to 12 pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2021-2022 school year or a 13 prior school year or to students with disabilities whose 14 course of study is determined by an individualized education 15 program. 16 Subsection (e-5) does not apply to pupils entering the 9th 17 grade in the 2023-2024 school year or a prior school year or to 18 students with disabilities whose course of study is determined 19 by an individualized education program. Subsection (e-10) does 20 not apply to pupils entering the 9th grade in the 2027-2028 21 school year or a prior school year or to students with 22 disabilities whose course of study is determined by an 23 individualized education program. 24 (h) The provisions of this Section are subject to the 25 provisions of Sections 14A-32 and 27-610 of this Code and the 26 Postsecondary and Workforce Readiness Act. SB3070 Enrolled - 7 - LRB104 18781 LNS 32224 b 1 (i) The State Board of Education may adopt rules to modify 2 the requirements of this Section for any students enrolled in 3 grades 9 through 12 if the Governor has declared a disaster due 4 to a public health emergency pursuant to Section 7 of the 5 Illinois Emergency Management Agency Act. 6 (Source: P.A. 103-154, eff. 6-30-23; 103-743, eff. 8-2-24; 7 104-387, eff. 8-15-25; 104-391, eff. 8-15-25; revised 8 9-24-25.) 9 Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon 10 becoming law.
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